Specialized tables have long been used to support and immobilize individuals so that doctors can readily access body parts of interest during surgery or other treatments. So-called surgical tables come with a number of mechanical enhancements to further this purpose. Many such tables are articulatable to support patients in a supine, sitting or other orientations. Many such tables come equipped with side rails mounted along the lateral edges of the table so that various devices and attachments can be secured to the table, including devices such as arm and head immobilizers, and equipment platforms. The rails are mounted to the edge of the table on a number of spaced-apart stand-offs which form a gap between the rail and the table edge of about 1 to 3 centimeters.
Because of their ruggedness and adaptability, and the number of features provided by these tables, the tables are often expensive. It is difficult for hospitals and other health care institutions to purchase a number of tables for different-sized individuals. Since many individual's weight exceeds three or four hundred pounds, most standard-sized surgical tables have an upper surface which is too narrow to adequately support such individuals.
This has prompted the development of detachable platforms for increasing the upper surface of the table. Existing platforms typically mount directly to the rails without contacting any other portion of the table. Therefore, the load to be carried by the platform must be exclusively borne by the rail/stand-off assembly. Many platforms also leave a gap between the table surface and the platform which can be uncomfortable and provide reduced support. Further, these platforms take up valuable rail space which may otherwise have been used for other attachments.
Medical devices have long been manufactured from reinforced resin composites because they have a high stiffness-to-weight ratio, are strong, light-weight, and can be made to reduce interference with x-rays or other medical imaging modalities. Fiber-resin composite manufacturing techniques are discussed in Engineered Materials Handbook Volume 1 Composites, published by ASM International (1987). Devices made from fiber-resin composites can be sensitive to localized excessive mechanical forces which can result in fraying, cracking or other damage which can render the device inoperative.
There is, therefore, a need for a device which increases the usable upper surface of a surgical table without detracting from its utility and which can withstand the rigorous medical/surgical treatment/imaging environment while maintaining low manufacturing costs.